Liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors are replacing traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors in many applications because of their lighter weight and superior performance. In a typical LCD, a backlight system is placed behind an LCD panel to illuminate the LCD for viewing by a user. An array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is used as the light source of the backlight system, although other sources of illumination can be provided.
Conventional backlight systems typically fall into one of the following two categories: direct backlight systems or edge backlight systems. A direct backlight system typically has a light source directly behind the LCD panel with an integrating cavity therebetween that enables mixing of the light from the light source, thereby improving the uniformity of the display. Conventional direct backlights can be problematic, however, in that the cavity can result in an undesirable added thickness. Edge backlight systems include light sources located at the edge of a waveguide (or “light pipe” or “light guide”) placed behind the LCD panel. The light travels from the edge of the light guide until it is deflected towards the LCD panel. Although conventional edge backlight systems may be thinner than conventional direct backlight systems, such displays often fail to provide sufficient luminescence (or “brightness”) for certain applications because the number of light sources is greatly reduced and because the light must propagate throughout the entire light guide from the edge of the display.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved backlight system for LCDs. In addition, it is desirable to provide a more compact backlight system with uniform luminescence. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.